For his third solo album on DFA, Eric Copeland tested a lot of the raw material on tour with Animal Colective through 2016. The appeal to that band’s crowd would be clear, because Copeland works just as well off the beat as he does on it, creating wonky bass lines, playful riffs and some hard hitting rhythms that feel like they were put together on the spot, in a garage, with a live band present. That’s a compliment of course, because Copeland’s brand of sweaty, house influenced dance music works really well on tracks like the earthy ‘Neckbone’, which is crammed with funk and a tasty analogue beat, or on the messy, screwed up disco of ‘Close Encounters’. ‘Goofballs’ is all killer and no filler, getting straight to the heart of the dancing matter – and more albums would do well to follow its lead.
Ben Hogwood
4 out of 5
ERIC COPELAND – GOOFBALLS – DFA
